Passage: Ephesians 3:14-19

Words alone will not bring us the joyful, obedient, worshipful life that God intends for His people. The Bible by itself — even, in particular, the gospel of God’s love in Christ, by itself — is unable to give believers the power they need to live lives of joy and full of the presence of Christ. To experience Christ’s presence and love as God intends, we must pray for God’s Spirit to empower in us what His word declares.

Passage: Matthew 6:19-24

We all love and look for a good ROI or return on investment. Whether its time, talents or treasures, we like to know that what we do or have will have a positive and lasting impact. But any investor would shake his head warily at the promise of a "sure thing," an investment that can't lose. As Jesus continues to teach on kingdom living and to challenge his followers to live lives guided by a heart-righteousness devoted to pleasing God, he turns his attention to the subject of money, and how to approach the stewardship of those treasures God has entrusted to us on this earth. And while we often think of stewardship in terms of what we give or give up, Jesus actually encourages us to look at it in terms of investing for a return. And he says, if you want a "sure thing" we need to understand kingdom treasures, have a kingdom perspective, and serve the kingdom's King. Join us Sunday as we continue in our series in the Sermon on the Mount and see what Jesus says about investing in the kingdom of heaven.

Passage: Matthew 6:1-18

In our image-conscious, social-media, selfie-driven society, people are constantly on the look for that photo-op or that journal posting to present themselves in a positive, admirable light to others. As Christians we love to share about the service we render to others: posing with the widow who's house we're helping to paint or posting our testimony of how blessed we were by serving at the homeless shelter. And truly, local churches and believers often lead the way in serving others in need. But we would be naive to deny that alongside our desire to do good, comes a natural inclination to be seen doing good, to get credit for our compassion, to be recognized for our righteousness. There is nothing wrong with recognition or rewards. But when those accolades become the driving force, the motivating factor behind our desire to do good, then suddenly our good deeds lose their "goodness," or as the prophet Isaiah puts it, our righteous deeds become like filthy rags. (64:6). In his call to kingdom living, Jesus warns against what we might call "Selfie-religion" or living out our faith for the purpose of being seen and respected by others. Rather, he directs his followers towards a kind of sanctified secrecy when it comes to living for, loving like and leading to the King. Join us Sunday as we continue to look at Jesus' teaching about a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees and is not bent on being seen but on serving others.

Passage: Matthew 5:38-48

It's easy to love your family and friends and to want to do things that bless them. But what about those who do you wrong, who take advantage of you, who actively seek your harm? When we are wronged, when we are slighted, when someone does something to harm us, our natural response is to think what can I do to get them back, and often to get them back bigger and better than they got me. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has already told his followers that they will be reviled and persecuted because of him (Matt. 5:11). The question is not if we will experience that, but how will we respond when we do. Jesus' continues to challenge us with a heart-focused view of the law that guarantees that his followers will stand out as different than the rest of the world. He says kingdom life involves resisting revenge and loving your enemies. Indeed, he calls us to literally go the extra mile and love even those who do not love us. For after all, isn't that what our heavenly Father has done for us. Join us Sunday as we consider how to love with the same love that our King Jesus has loved us.

Passage: Matthew 5:27-37

Jesus continues his teaching on life in the kingdom, contrasting the traditional interpretation and application of God's law by the religious leaders with the true intent and heart-focus of those commands from the King himself. This week, we'll look at three situations that Jesus addresses that at first may seem unrelated, but in reality are linked together in a way that points to a purity and integrity of the heart that is essential to our being faithful and true in our relationship both with God and with others. Join us Sunday as Jesus challenges the status quo of our culture by calling his followers to be true to your wife (or husband) and to your word.

Passage: Matthew 5:17-26

Having addressed the blessings of kingdom character in the Beatitudes, and the calling of kingdom citizens to be salt and light in the world, Jesus now turns in the Sermon on the Mount to the commands of the kingdom that define and guide the lifestyle of those who belong to the kingdom. He begins by noting the enduring nature of God's Word, pointing out that he has come not to do away with it, but to establish it in all its fullness. Then he proceeds to take the traditional interpretations of several commands and point to the deeper heart righteousness involved in living them out. The first issue he tackles is one that indeed cuts right to the heart: the issue of anger. Anger is a universal problem that is often made light of or even encouraged in our society. But Jesus does not hold back in pointing out the seriousness and danger of anger in our lives, equating its effects to that of murder. Which is why he wants us to not only better understand the nature and effects of anger, but to offer wise counsel in dealing with anger in a way that demonstrates the character of the kingdom as those who pursue peace. Join us Sunday as we look at what Jesus has to teach us about anger management.

Passage: Matthew 5:13-20

Having outlined the character and blessings of those who belong to the kingdom of heaven, Jesus now turns to the impact that citizens of God's kingdom will have on the world around them. He uses two analogies from everyday life to highlight the Christian's preservative and illumining affect on a world that is decaying in darkness. The power of the gospel makes us salt and light in the world, and Jesus is clear that this is not just something we seek to be, but something we are by virtue of the righteousness which he fulfills on our behalf. What does it mean to be salt and light in a dark and decaying culture, and how do we attain a righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees? Join us this Sunday as we look at Jesus' teaching on Kingdom Calling and Commands.

Passage: Matthew 5:1-12

This week, our study of Matthew's gospel brings us to one of the most familiar sections of the bible and perhaps the most famous sermon ever preached, Jesus' discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins his ministry preaching the good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. God's rule and reign is now present and powerfully at work through his Son. Jesus starts by teaching teaching his disciples what life in the kingdom is to be like. He opens with a description of those in the kingdom who are truly blessed, and as is often the case, it is not what we might expect. The Beatitudes, as they are commonly known, don't describe the circumstances or situations that we typically think of as blessings, but rather the heart attitude and spiritual bent that leads to embracing and experiencing a deep trust and humble dependence on God. Jesus' challenging sermon opens with a challenging call to pursue true kingdom character and to consider what it means to live a truly blessed life.

Passage: Matthew 4:23-25

In these verses we find Jesus teaching and proclaiming the the good news of the Kingdom. Jesus' ministry of healing the sick shows us the healing nature of God’s kingdom in a broken and sinful world. He cast out demons showing his power over darkness, and himself as the light Isaiah promised to those dwelling in darkness. He who fights against the darkness in and around us will soon go into darkness for us and so conquer it once and for all for. Jesus' reign as God's anointed King is good news though in our sin we can't see it that way. We desire to rule our own lives. The one who calls his disciples friends is seen, in our sinful human nature, as an enemy to be overthrown. (Psalm 2) And so Jesus calls us to repent of our warped view of the goodness of God and his Kingdom. We are called to lay down our kingship and kingdom building and follow him as King. As we look at these three verses which summarize Jesus’ ministry, we see that Jesus’ kingdom is a place of healing and freedom from the dark powers of evil.

Passage: Matthew 4:12-22

Following Jesus' baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Matthew marks the beginning of Jesus' ministry by once again, connecting the dots of his life with the promises of God. He is the light shining in the darkness of which the prophet Isaiah spoke, and that light shines through his picking up the message of John to "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The priority and power of this call to turn from the darkness of sin towards the light of God's glory is epitomized in Jesus' call to his first disciples to come and follow him. What does it mean to follow Jesus and what difference does that make in our lives today? Join us Sunday as we consider that from the lives of the fishermen Jesus called to become fishers of men.